Flint sees improvement in violent crime rate

Flint’s police chief says violent crime is down in his city, despite the city reaching a grim milestone this past week.

Last Sunday, 16 year old Wesley Gillmore became the 50th person murdered in Flint this year. Flint has notched at least fifty homicides in each of the last four years. The city set a record with 67 murders in 2012.

Still police Chief James Tolbert says Flint’s violent crime rate is improving, down 29% in the last 11 months.

To keep that downward direction, Tolbert says the public’s help is needed.

“Understand that we still need people to step up and to give us information so we can assure that we can follow each investigation to its fullest,” says Tolbert.

Tolbert credits Flint’s police officers with decreasing the violent crime rate. Michigan State Police troopers are also in Flint to assist the local police department.

Alvern Lock has overseen Flint’s police and fire departments since 2009, when he was appointed to the job by then-interim mayor Mike Brown. He submitted his letter of resignation to Mike Brown, just days before Brown himself will step down as Flint’s emergency manager. Flint’s new emergency manager starts next month. Brown will stay at city hall through the end of October.

Lock spent 23 years as a Flint police officer before retiring in 2006.

It isn't every day when the President of the United States turns to you for advice.

But Flint's Mayor Dane Walling is now in that relatively small group who can say exactly that. Mayor Walling was among 18 mayors who sat down in a White House meeting with President Obama. The topic: how to reduce violence among young people -- something Dane Walling is faced with every single day. That's because Flint is among the top U.S. cities of more than 50,000 people with the worst crime rates. Mayor Dane Walling joined us today. Listen to the interview above.